MusicInclusive
Newbie level 3
Hi,
New here - forgive a naive question.
I searched through the forums and did not see anything similar.
What is the commonly understood legal stance on the use of application notes that are not currently being published by manufacturers - either because the manufacturer no longer exists (gone out of business or have been bought out) or because they no longer manufacture the part?
Current practice is for manufacturers to publish data sheets and often application notes for free download. It is of course in their interest to do so so that their products get used effectively.
However in the case of out-of-production parts, or, where the application notes were never on the Internet in the first place but sometimes even sold as paper data books - however small or large - but which notes serve(d) the same function of dissemination of information for practical use of the parts, and, in particular for which the parts are still available even 2nd hand or from other manufacturers, there seems to be no clear answer to me at present.
Two concrete examples:
1.) I want to build something with an XR-2206 I picked up in a grab bag. I have no idea whether it's a genuine Exar part or a Chinese knock off. I suspect the former however given the vintage.
Exar no longer exists - now MaxLinear - and although they still have some Exar-sourced datasheets for parts in production at their site (with the XR logo even) they do not have the XR-2206.
Now, the datasheet I believe was published and freely available - it is still maintained at various well-known 3rd party sites - and I cannot but think that Exar / MaxLinear would not somehow withdraw a previously published and (I assume) freely available datasheet, but, in this case, what I want to use is the AR-14 application note which was published in the Exar Function Generator Databook - and I don't know if that was ever free.
Does anyone know?
It is available to download from 3rd-party sites, as is the TAN-005 application note as one can easily discern by googling, but I don't know what the legality is here. If it was ever sold, as opposed to being a free giveaway which is still legitimately free to download that might make a difference in legitimacy of using a downloaded copy.
I want to uphold all copyright law properly.
Companies normally today freely allow such downloads of their copyrighted datasheets and sometimes application notes and databooks too. The question is whether what happens when a given company considers material withdrawn or otherwise unobtainable (I'd pay for it if it were possible in that case) and then copyright would come into play as a legal issue. I doubt anyone would ever enforce it - but that's not the point; it's a question of doing what is right that I am concerned about here.
I have sent an email to MaxLinear to inquire but have not yet heard back.
2.) The National Semiconductor Linear applications handbook is another example. Clearly out of print. And, of course, now, TI own the old NS assets. TI produce their own application notes, but do not maintain a download of the NS databook. It is again available for download on the web (but I believe was indeed a for-cost item originally).
What is the understanding here? Copyright is again in play of course, but, again, it's a matter of how it's considered by the company - now TI. Is it considered freely available for all to use or not? Some of you may have original copies of this in paper form; did you have to pay for that back in the day?
Again - I have written to TI to ask them but again have not heard back.
Thanks for your patience getting this far :smile:
I'd appreciate your perspective. I have no desire whatsoever to infringe on copyright or otherwise break the law.
Kind regards
Derek Jones
New here - forgive a naive question.
I searched through the forums and did not see anything similar.
What is the commonly understood legal stance on the use of application notes that are not currently being published by manufacturers - either because the manufacturer no longer exists (gone out of business or have been bought out) or because they no longer manufacture the part?
Current practice is for manufacturers to publish data sheets and often application notes for free download. It is of course in their interest to do so so that their products get used effectively.
However in the case of out-of-production parts, or, where the application notes were never on the Internet in the first place but sometimes even sold as paper data books - however small or large - but which notes serve(d) the same function of dissemination of information for practical use of the parts, and, in particular for which the parts are still available even 2nd hand or from other manufacturers, there seems to be no clear answer to me at present.
Two concrete examples:
1.) I want to build something with an XR-2206 I picked up in a grab bag. I have no idea whether it's a genuine Exar part or a Chinese knock off. I suspect the former however given the vintage.
Exar no longer exists - now MaxLinear - and although they still have some Exar-sourced datasheets for parts in production at their site (with the XR logo even) they do not have the XR-2206.
Now, the datasheet I believe was published and freely available - it is still maintained at various well-known 3rd party sites - and I cannot but think that Exar / MaxLinear would not somehow withdraw a previously published and (I assume) freely available datasheet, but, in this case, what I want to use is the AR-14 application note which was published in the Exar Function Generator Databook - and I don't know if that was ever free.
Does anyone know?
It is available to download from 3rd-party sites, as is the TAN-005 application note as one can easily discern by googling, but I don't know what the legality is here. If it was ever sold, as opposed to being a free giveaway which is still legitimately free to download that might make a difference in legitimacy of using a downloaded copy.
I want to uphold all copyright law properly.
Companies normally today freely allow such downloads of their copyrighted datasheets and sometimes application notes and databooks too. The question is whether what happens when a given company considers material withdrawn or otherwise unobtainable (I'd pay for it if it were possible in that case) and then copyright would come into play as a legal issue. I doubt anyone would ever enforce it - but that's not the point; it's a question of doing what is right that I am concerned about here.
I have sent an email to MaxLinear to inquire but have not yet heard back.
2.) The National Semiconductor Linear applications handbook is another example. Clearly out of print. And, of course, now, TI own the old NS assets. TI produce their own application notes, but do not maintain a download of the NS databook. It is again available for download on the web (but I believe was indeed a for-cost item originally).
What is the understanding here? Copyright is again in play of course, but, again, it's a matter of how it's considered by the company - now TI. Is it considered freely available for all to use or not? Some of you may have original copies of this in paper form; did you have to pay for that back in the day?
Again - I have written to TI to ask them but again have not heard back.
Thanks for your patience getting this far :smile:
I'd appreciate your perspective. I have no desire whatsoever to infringe on copyright or otherwise break the law.
Kind regards
Derek Jones